252 – Acts 25: How To Help People Come To Know Jesus
Three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take over his new
responsibilities, he left for Jerusalem, where the leading priests and other Jewish
leaders met with him and made their accusations against Paul. They asked Festus as a favor to transfer Paul
to Jerusalem (planning to ambush and kill him on the way). But Festus replied that Paul was at Caesarea
and he himself would be returning there soon. So he said, “Those of you in authority can
return with me. If Paul has done anything wrong, you can make your
accusations.”
About eight or ten days later Festus returned to Caesarea, and on the following
day he took his seat in court and ordered that Paul be brought in. When Paul arrived, the Jewish leaders from
Jerusalem gathered around and made many serious accusations they couldn’t
prove. Paul denied the charges. “I am not
guilty of any crime against the Jewish laws or the Temple or the Roman
government,” he said.
Then Festus, wanting to please the Jews, asked him, “Are you willing to go to
Jerusalem and stand trial before me there?”
But Paul replied, “No! This is the official Roman court, so I ought to be tried
right here. You know very well I am not guilty of harming the Jews. If I have done something worthy of death, I
don’t refuse to die. But if I am innocent, no one has a right to turn me over
to these men to kill me. I appeal to Caesar!” Festus
conferred with his advisers and then replied, “Very well! You have appealed to
Caesar, and to Caesar you will go!”
A few days later King Agrippa arrived with his sister, Bernice, to pay their
respects to Festus.During their stay of several days, Festus
discussed Paul’s case with the king. “There is a prisoner here,” he told him,
“whose case was left for me by Felix. When I was in Jerusalem, the leading priests
and Jewish elders pressed charges against him and asked me to condemn him. I pointed out to them that Roman law does not
convict people without a trial. They must be given an opportunity to confront
their accusers and defend themselves.
“When his accusers came here for the trial, I didn’t delay. I called the case
the very next day and ordered Paul brought in. But the accusations made against him weren’t
any of the crimes I expected. Instead, it was something about their religion
and a dead man named Jesus, who Paul insists is alive. I was at a loss to know how to investigate
these things… ACTS 25:1-20 NLT
Jesus
is confusing to people who don’t know him
I can help people understand Jesus
by…
Being
clear about who Jesus is
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the
truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” JOHN 14:6 NLT
Living
in submission to Jesus
“So why do you keep calling me
‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I
say?” LUKE 6:46 NLT
Loving
people
like Jesus
So now I am giving you a new
commandment: Love each other.
Just as I have loved you, you
should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the
world that you are my disciples. JOHN
13:34 NLT
Practicing
self-control like Jesus
With the Lord’s authority I say this:
Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused… They have
no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every
kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ! EPHESIANS 4:17-20 NLT
Saying
yes to Jesus means learning to say no to yourself.
Becoming
generous like Jesus
And I have been a constant example of
how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus:
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” ACTS 20:35 NLT
Serving
others like Jesus
For even the Son of Man came not to
be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. MARK 10:45 NLT
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